典藏书目

I have examined the *Ling Shu* (Spiritual Pivot) and *Su Wen* (Basic Questions) attributed to Yellow Emperor and Qibo, as well as Zhang Zhongjing’s *Shanghan Lun* (Treatise on Cold Damage Diseases), *Jingui Yufan Jing* (Golden Cabinet Jade Box Classic), and other texts. These works describe Shanghan (Cold Damage) but do not mention Dongwen (Winter Warmth). It was not until southern physicians emerged that this disease name was explicitly recorded. The etiology of its symptoms lies in the abnormal warmth of winter, where Yang Qi fails to conceal itself. In extreme cases, frost and snow are absent, and peach and plum trees bloom prematurely. Consequently, the Qi of Heaven and Earth becomes expansive without being restrictive. The human body is a microcosm of Heaven and Earth; since Heaven and Earth exhibit expansion without restriction, the physiological transformation (Qi Hua) within the human body also exhibits dispersion without storage. Therefore, when winter should be cold but turns warm instead, it is a sign of climatic anomaly. If an individual’s Zheng Qi (Upright Qi) is deficient, pathogenic factors can easily invade. This results in headache, absence of sweating, fever, and aversion to cold, resembling Shanghan. However, the presence of thirst, rapid pulse, dry nose, and dry breath distinguishes it from Shanghan. In severe cases, it may manifest as sand-rash (Sha Zhen), macules (Ban Zhen), or smallpox-like eruptions, all belonging to this category. Furthermore, individuals with Yin deficiency and Yang hyperactivity may experience sudden exhaustion of Yin Qi, allowing Yang pathogens to erupt independently. Early symptoms include red eyes, withered teeth, crimson tongue, thirst, macules resembling brocade patterns, coma, sore throat, and a string-taut, rapid, and hurried pulse. This is termed Wendu (Warm Toxin), corresponding to Yang Du (Yang Toxicity) mentioned in the *Shanghan Li*. It is more severe than Dongwen and represents the most dangerous form among exogenous diseases, hence the term "toxin." This condition is particularly severe in children because their constitution is purely Yang; Yang combines with Yang, attracting similar pathogens rapidly. For such cases, one should immediately employ acrid-cool clearing and resolving methods, combined with sweet-cold nourishing of Yin, assisted by detoxification, to prevent disaster. If warm diaphoretic agents are used again, it is like adding fuel to a fire, inevitably leading to death by heat. Thus, in regions south of the Yangtze River, where the terrain is low and the air humid, dampness, fog, and dew can all cause disease. Moreover, due to the loss of proper winter climate, susceptibility to warmth pathogens increases. True Shanghan accounts for less than 5-10% of cases. Occasionally, symptoms resemble Taiyang Bing (Disease of the Taiyang Channel), presenting with headache, body pain, fever, and aversion to cold. These require only acrid-cool clearing and resolving methods; recovery occurs upon sweating. This is because the local earth Qi is loose and dispersible, making infection and resolution easy, unlike the rigid and cold earth Qi of the north, which cannot be treated uniformly with methods for true Shanghan.